These Easter Sugar Cookie Bars have a soft and chewy sugar cookie base topped with creamy coconut frosting. Green coconut grass, Peeps, and colorful jelly beans turn them into a fun Easter dessert that looks like a little spring garden. They are easy to make in one pan and perfect for parties, bake sales, or an Easter dessert table.
Why I Love Making These as Bars Instead of Cookies
Decorated sugar cookies can take a lot of time, especially when you have to roll, cut, and frost each one. These bars give you the same soft sugar cookie flavor but bake in one pan, which makes them much faster to prepare. Once frosted, the green coconut and candy toppings turn the whole pan into a festive Easter dessert that is easy to slice and serve.
Ingredients That Make These Bars Work
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour works best here. Do not pack the flour when measuring, or the bars may turn out dense.
- Almond extract: Optional but recommended. A small amount adds that familiar bakery-style sugar cookie flavor.
- Confetti sprinkles: Coin style or quins work best because they hold their color better during baking.
- Cream of coconut: Use sweetened cream of coconut, not coconut cream. It adds sweetness and coconut flavor to the frosting. If you cannot find it, you can use heavy cream or whole milk instead, but the frosting will have less coconut flavor.
- Sweetened coconut flakes: These are dyed green to create the grass topping.
- Peeps and jelly beans: is what I used for the images, but you can decorate the bars with different Easter candies like chocolate eggs, robin eggs, or mini eggs. If you love baking with mini eggs, you should also try my Mini Egg Cookies.
How the Green Coconut “Grass” Works
The sweetened coconut is tinted with a few drops of green food coloring to create the grassy topping. It adds texture and color, and it also helps hold the Peeps and jelly beans in place so the bars look like a little Easter scene.
Tips for Soft Cookie Bars and Clean Slices
- Do not overbake the cookie base: The center should still look slightly soft when you remove it from the oven. It will continue to set as it cools and stay chewy.
- Let the bars cool completely before frosting: If the cookie base is warm, the frosting will melt and become difficult to spread.
- Use cream of coconut, not coconut cream: Cream of coconut is sweetened and gives the frosting the right flavor and texture.
- No coconut option: If you are avoiding coconut for any reason, you can skip the coconut grass and frosting and use plain buttercream instead. You can tint the frosting green if you still want the same Easter grass look without using coconut.
- Cut before decorating: It is easier to slice the bars first, then add the coconut and candies. This keeps the decorations from shifting while cutting.
- Add candy just before serving: Peeps and jelly beans can dry out or bleed color if left on the bars for too long.
More Fun Easter Recipes To Try
All Easter
Storage and Freezing
Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For the best appearance, add the coconut and candy decorations just before serving so the Peeps stay soft and the colors do not bleed.
To freeze, place the bars in an airtight container without the coconut and candy topping and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then decorate with the coconut, Peeps, and jelly beans before serving.
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Easter Sugar Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Large zip top bag
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups (450 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
- ¼ cup (40 g) confetti sprinkles
For the coconut frosting
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) cream of coconut
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) coconut extract
- Pinch salt
For assembly
- 1½ cups (120 g) sweetened coconut flakes
- Green food coloring as needed
- 12 Peeps candies
- Jelly beans for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat it with baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix in the pure vanilla extract and almond extract, if using.
- Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the sprinkles.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until combined.
- Add the cream of coconut, pure vanilla extract, coconut extract, and salt. Beat until smooth, then mix on medium high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Lift the cooled cookie slab out of the pan using the parchment paper. Spread the frosting evenly over the top.
- Place the coconut flakes in a large zip top bag and add a few drops of green food coloring. Seal the bag and shake until the coconut is evenly colored.
- Cut into 12 bars. Top with the green coconut, then decorate each bar with a Peeps candy and jelly beans.
Notes:
- Use cream of coconut here, not coconut cream. Cream of coconut is sweetened and gives the frosting its flavor and texture.
- Confetti style sprinkles work best in the dough because they hold their color better than many other sprinkles.
- For the cleanest slices, cut the bars before adding the coconut and candies.
- You can decorate each bar a little differently if you want, or swap the toppings for Easter chocolate candies, chocolate eggs, or pastel candy coated chocolates.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For the best texture and appearance, add the Peeps and jelly beans just before serving.
- Freeze the bars without the coconut and candy topping in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then decorate before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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